Plight of a Frozen World
by MaxKnight1010101
Summary: PS3 One Shot - Companion piece to my LP.  How did everything seem to happen so perfectly to set Rhys on his quest?  Follows Lyle as he tries to find a way to thaw out his frozen world.


**Author's Notes**: This crazy piece of fiction is a companion piece to my LP of Phantasy Star III. As to why the heck I decided to do this? I kind of came up with the story rather suddenly and it fits so perfectly. I can successfully fill in some backstory, which PS3 completely lacks. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this departure from my usual Power Ranger stuff. Comments and complaints in the review box, please!

**Disclaimer**: Phantasy Star is owned by Sega. Unfortunately it's mishandled with all of those retarded online games, but still. If I owned it, we'd have more real PS games that play like the first four.

* * *

He looked at the console in a mild state of annoyance and confusion. None of these buttons seemed to work! This _is_ the controller for the weather system in Aquatica, that much he was certain of, but something was keeping him from interfacing with it. '_Damnation!_' he thought, '_I'll need to find a cyborg to fix this…_'

He turned from the machine and contemplated his purpose here. He had travelled to Aridia to check on the Satellite Control Tower, which also housed the Weather Control for all the different worlds. According to the readout that he _was_ able to access, there were seven different worlds that were controlled by this station, each of them connected by tunnels. Unfortunately, nearly one thousand years ago, Laya sealed all of those passages such that few of them remained opened to this day. To his knowledge, the passage from the ruined Orakian fortresses in Aquatica to Aridia was one of the few that remained open without needing a gemstone of sorts to access them. He required a Forest Sapphire to enter the tunnel to Landen from Aquatica, which he had no idea where to find one, but the tunnel between Aridia and Landen required the Twin's Ruby, which was currently in the possession of one of the cyborgs in the only town in Aridia, Hazatak.

'_Cyborgs_' his thoughts turned to, '_we Layans cannot command them, as they are completely under the control of Orakio. If I need a cyborg to fix this, I may need to recruit the help of a powerful Orakian…_'

The Layan prince strode out of the building and transformed, heading northwest towards the town.

* * *

The trip to the town was short, as air travel typically would be. Very few had such abilities as his, and he reveled in it. He transformed back a kilometer away from Hazatak; the less Layan he looked, the higher the chance to actually get the help he needed from one of the cyborgs. Cautiously he strode into town, warily keeping his wits about him as he spied out the inhabitants. Approaching the one closest to the entrance, he asked, "Greetings; my name is Lyle, and I hail from the world of Aquatica, which is currently afflicted with a flaw in its weather system. I attempted to fix it myself, but the machine in the Satellite Control System requires a cyborg to interface with it. Would you happen to know of one that could help me?"

The cyborg watched the stranger for a length of time, appearing to process his request. Finally, he said, "The cyborg you seek is located in the northwest corner of town. Wren is the only cyborg living here with the capability to interface with that system."

Lyle thanked the cyborg and quickly headed in the direction specified. Standing alone in near the corner of the town boarder was a single cyborg; he appeared to be in deep thought. As the Layan prince approached, he saw a gleaming sparkle in the sunlight. '_Aha!_' Lyle thought, '_this one also holds the Twin's Ruby. After I get his help, I shall have to also help myself…_' Lyle cleared his throat to get the Wren cyborg's attention, then said, "Salutations. I have enquired with your countryman at the town's entrance and he told me you were the only one who could help. I need someone to help me fix the weather in Aquatica, which is currently a frozen world. Could I interest you in assisting me?"

The Wren cyborg appeared to be analyzing the human that was addressing him. After a moment's hesitation, he answered, "Only an Orakian may command me. You are not an Orakian."

Lyle's eyes widened in surprise. '_Shit! He's a combat cyborg. He must be able to sense my Technique Power. There's no way he will come with me quietly. I certainly need to find an Orakian to trick into coming to my aid… Unfortunately, my face is known all over Aquatica, so none from my world will willingly cooperate… I shall have to find someone in another world..._' He eyed the gemstone in the cyborg's belt for a moment before replying to the accusation. "Correct; I am indeed Layan. Not only am I a Layan, but I am also a foreign sovereign; prince of the land of Shusoran. As you are not a human but a cyborg, Laya's Law does not forbid me from killing you, and I am quite proficient in melee techniques…"

The Wren cyborg was designed for heavy weapons combat, but was currently unarmed and unarmored. The Layan's threat was a real one, so the only course of action he could see was escape. He attempted to make a break for the western exit from the town, but as was also a feature of his model, he was not built for speed. Lyle easily caught up to him and used his staff to put him off balance. In the confusion that followed, the Layan prince darted past the cyborg and grabbed the object adorning his belt. Transforming into the flying dragon, Lyle took off in a northwestern direction; the tunnel to Landen should open with the gem he just swiped. Sneaking a look back towards the town, he saw the Wren cyborg continuing out of town and heading to the west. Why he was doing this, Lyle couldn't fathom, but so long as that cyborg was able to survive, he would have a chance to return his world to normal.

* * *

Stepping out of the cave, Lyle spied Landen for the first time in his life. Knowledge that had been passed down for centuries stated that this world was completely controlled by Orakio. This was evident from the strength of the Layan monsters in this world, which appeared to be much weaker than the ones in Aquatica, or even the desert of Aridia, in which stronger and hardier monsters tended to thrive.

He transformed and took flight; from the look of this place it was not rich in mineral resources, but was quite verdant. The people lived comfortably off the land it seemed, and were certainly thriving in their isolation. From his position in the skies, Lyle found two villages and two castles; one castle looked quite strong, nestled as it was in the thick forest, while the other looked to be in a more favorable position for trade, being along that river. His target was clear: the more accessible castle was certainly the better choice to begin with.

As he had with Hazatak, he transformed back approximately a kilometer away from the castle and walked the rest of the way. He approached the gate and was stopped by a guard almost immediately. "Halt! State your business, stranger."

Lyle held himself as regally as he could and replied, "I am a representative of the world of Aquatica; I have come for an audience with your sovereign."

The guard eyed him warily for a moment; he'd heard there were other worlds out there, but had never encountered someone that claimed to be from one of them. He motioned to one of the guards on the inside to deliver the message; a minute later, he returned with confirmation. The guard nodded back and turned back to Lyle. He shouted, "Open the gate!" then addressed the stranger, saying, "Behave yourself in front of the lady. We will not tolerate any tomfoolery of any sort." Once the gate was raised, he motioned for Lyle to enter.

He was ushered not into the throne room, but into some sort of antechamber off to the side. He took a seat while waiting, but was not waiting for long; soon the door opened and a petite woman of approximately eighteen walked in. She dismissed her guards and had them take positions outside the door, leaving her alone with this so-called representative. Lyle stood and bowed slightly in acknowledgement. She did the same before speaking, "I am Princess Lena of this land of Satera. I am told you represent the world of Aquatica? This world has had no contact with your world for centuries, so what business do you have with us now?"

Lyle smirked at her curtness. He said, "You are right to be wary of my presence here. I am on a mission to seek aid for my entire world; Aquatica used to be a world of delightful tropical weather, with more water than land. Something has occurred and the weather controller for my world has been tampered with; it is now a frozen world! Both of our peoples are freezing to death and starving! Soon, all life within that world will die away, with no chance of being saved. I have attempted to fix the issue myself, but I cannot work the controls, and the cyborg that can will not follow my commands…"

Lena processed this request for help for a moment before something clicked. She narrowed her eyes and said, "You said both of our people… You certainly don't mean Saterans, so you must be talking Orakians. You… you are Layan!"

She looked about to call for the guards, so Lyle quickly jumped up and grabbed her, covering her mouth. He whispered into her ear, "That will not be necessary, my dear. I am not here to hurt you; otherwise I would have done so from the start. No, Laya's Law dictates to not take another human life, whether it be Layan or Orakian, so you are safe with me. If you will please calm down and allow me to explain myself… whether you agree to help or not, I will be on my way; no harm or foul will befall you or your people."

She stopped struggling and he tentatively removed his hands from her person. Taking several deep breaths, she turned back to face him, leveling her most fierce stare she could muster. "Talk." She commanded.

"I have told you the truth; I do represent my people in Aquatica. My name is Lyle, and I am the sovereign prince of my land of Shusoran. We are a Layan people, and we do currently engage in the age old war between our peoples with the Orakian land of Agoe. I hold no personal grudge against any Orakian people myself, but my people have been raised to hate your people and will not back down from the struggle. About a month ago, the weather controller suddenly changed our world from a land of water and sun to a land of ice, snow, and gloom. Peoples on both sides are suffering, and I only wish to solve the problem for all of us. I went myself because there is none in my land that I would trust the task to, especially if it would have involved contact with Orakians…" She was impassive as he explained himself. He thought, '_Best not to include that my land is across a frozen sea, and only I was capable of crossing it as it was._'

She considered his words and he shifted his weight from one foot to another. Finally, she said, "Let us say I believe you; what sort of help do you expect? We do not have many resources to spare. You may have had a better chance getting help from Prince Rhys in Castle Landen…"

Lyle shook his head, "I first came here because of the layout of the land; Landen is surrounded by such a thick forest that should I have to escape I would be easily caught. At the very least, I have a decent chance of making a hasty exit should push come to shove." He paused as she nodded at the logic of his choice. Satisfied that she understood, he continued, "As for how you could help… I have need of an Orakian to command a cyborg to help me. I tried to get him to come with me to fix the weather controller, but unfortunately he was a combat cyborg and could detect that I was not Orakian. As he is the only one that can possibly help me, I am in need of someone that I can trust to ask him to come with me and give me aid. Is there one among you that can actually perform this task for both of our peoples?"

She waited for a minute before actually answering him. She said, "None among my countrymen are capable of commanding that cyborg; only a full-blooded male descendant of Orakio can aid you. Unfortunately for you, the only one here in the world of Landen that can help you is Prince Rhys."

Lyle's face fell at that statement. Suddenly, it felt quite hopeless. This didn't last too long, however, as the gears of his mind started turning and an idea soon formed. "I'll just take it for granted that there is almost no way to get him to come with me… I must find a method to make him come to where I need him. There is a fishing village near the tunnel exit from Landen that is Orakian land… If he could see the suffering for himself, it might move him to wanting to fix it." He then considered what would be needed to cause this to happen and once again felt it was hopeless. "But in order for him to travel to Aquatica from here, he would need a Forest Sapphire to open the cave entrance to the tunnel between our worlds…"

Despite the fact that they were two separate peoples, Lena's heart went out to him for his plight. His mention of the Sapphire startled her, though. She said, "What do you mean? That Sapphire has the power to do such a thing as open the door between worlds?"

He looked up at her in puzzlement. "That is precisely what it does; why, what knowledge of it do you have? I know that none like it grace my fair land, for certain." He then noticed something peculiar that he had dismissed earlier as some kind of royal adornment; a jewel she held in her belt which shone a brilliant, if not quite dark, blue would sometimes appear to be green in color. He pointed and said, "What manner of stone do you keep that would gleam as a sapphire in one moment, but as an emerald in the next?"

Lena simply smiled back and said, "That, your Highness, is a royal heirloom of the house of Landen, given as a promise of betrothal between the good Prince Rhys and myself. It is the very gemstone which you seek to put a plan into action; the Forest Sapphire."

Lyle forgot his manners and gaped at her in that moment. She simply beamed in satisfaction at having stunned him into silence. He quickly realized what it was he was doing and closed his mouth, blushing profusely in his embarrassment. He said, "I don't suppose you would be willing to part with it anytime soon, would you?"

She shook her head. "No, I don't think it would be wise to give it up at this time. For one thing, there's no guarantee that you can convince him to journey to your world in the first place, not to mention that I'd have to go with him to see this for myself. Now on the other hand, should the gem be stolen without my knowledge as to who did it…"

Once again, Lyle found his voice had escaped him. '_Is she genuinely inviting me to steal it from under her nose? It does not sound like something one would normally suggest without there being some catch…_' That caused a sudden realization, and Lyle asked, "So what is the catch, should this gem somehow end up missing?"

Now she grinned evilly at him. "Any plans that are to be made involving my promised husband and the Forest Sapphire must be approved by me, of course. I will need to be involved, anyways, now that I know what is going on; I do not wish to see our peoples go extinct in your world."

He stared at her blankly as he processed her demand. Finally deciding that it couldn't be helped, he nodded and said, "Agreed. Now tell me, what do you know about Rhys that I could use to get him to come to my aid?"

"Not much, really. He's a notorious flirt with the common people; he feels it's his right as the prince, since he's already spoken for. Otherwise, I don't know what else could be of help to you…"

Once again, the gears turned in Lyle's head and an idea was forming. He started laying it out as the thoughts came to him. "My uncle is the king of a neighboring Layan land to my own, and his daughter is a little older than you. I may be able to convince him to allow me to spirit her here to be found by the prince. She is quite the fair catch, even should I speak of my own cousin; I could use her beauty and grace against him… But this plan relies on his willingness to marry her upon finding her… She must play at not knowing her heritage and be fully willing to accept his hand in marriage. Then, just before the nuptials are finalized, I will swoop in and spirit her away!" He paused after the sudden crescendo of his planning to consider something. He looked to the princess and asked her, "Tell me; does the prince have a temper? Would he be willing to chase me down and steal back his bride?"

She nodded. "Rhys is quite quick to anger, which is a drastic difference from his much cooler headed father. Should your plan proceed as you have laid out, Rhys would probably try to command the army to march off, even with no destination other than 'Follow That Man.' Should this happen, there's a good chance the king would toss him in to the dungeon for simply suggesting that action."

Lyle's eyes lit up at her confirmation. "Good, good! But…" He looked at her sheepishly. "I'm terribly sorry for asking you so much like this, but do you know of any methods of entry to the dungeon that doesn't involve entering the castle? An escape route of some sort? Should one exist, I'd like to prepare some items to help him on his quest for his cell, and then once it happens, I'll need to actually break him out and instruct him to be on his way…"

She held a hand up to interrupt and said, "No, leave that part to me. You'll be busy escaping with your cousin at that point. Rhys has actually never met me, and I don't think he's even been told of the agreement between our kingdoms, so I can get him out of jail when it happens. This is a risky plan, but if properly executed it shouldn't have many pitfalls. I shall be awaiting word of your return, Prince Lyle."

She gestured for him to take his leave of her, and he started to the door. He turned back just before reaching it and asked, "If Rhys is your promised husband, why would you aid me in a plan that involves him falling in love with and wedding another?"

She regarded him for a moment before answering. "While the prince may have many qualities that would be good for both a king and a husband, our proposed wedding is nothing but an agreement between our families. I have no current interest for him, and would just as soon give him up to help a peoples who are suffering…" She paused for only a moment before saying, "And considering Orakio's Law states that it is forbidden to take another human life, it's all I can do to save another's."

Lyle blinked at the sudden realization before smirking and nodding, satisfied in her answer, and strode out the door. Lena remained for several minutes, contemplating the implications of the agreement she had just entered into. She snapped out of it shortly and strode out of the room herself. It would take some bribery, but she did know of a method of getting into that dungeon from the town…

* * *

Several days journey later, Lyle strode through the castle gates of the country neighboring his own. The guards stood at attention as he walked by, and soon he was in the throne room of his uncle. Bowing, he said, "I have found the source of the problem, Uncle, but I cannot fix it. There is one that can fix it, but it is one of Orakio's combat cyborgs; I could not trick it into helping me, but I did manage to swipe this off of him…" He displayed the Twin's Ruby to the king. "Using this, I gained access to Landen, whom none from our world has seen in nearly one thousand years. There I came in contact with a certain Orakian Princess that has agreed to help me trick a direct descendant of Orakio to fix our world for us. As we speak, she is preparing her side of the bargain; I need your cooperation with me to fulfill my own obligation, however…"

The King of Cille looked upon Lyle with pride and said, "Wonderful planning, my nephew. What do you need me to do? March on Landen and force this Orakian to help us?"

With a slightly nervous chuckle, Lyle said, "No, my liege. What I require is an agreement to allow my cousin to marry the good Prince Rhys of Castle Landen."

This elicited the response Lyle expected; his uncle's face contorted most furiously and he turned a rather interesting shade of red. The king shouted, "What in Laya's name are you suggesting? A Layan princess marrying an Orakian prince? _Never!_"

Lyle pleaded with him, "Please uncle, hear me out! I only ask that Maia come with me to Landen. She would be found along the riverbanks and play at amnesia. From what I can tell, Rhys should take one look at her and ask his father to allow him to wed her. When the event takes place, I would appear and take her away; this will set in motion the events that we need! I need him to come to Aquatica and see our plight firsthand. Once he sees his only method of getting Maia back is to cross the sea, he will have to get the weather control fixed! Once he comes to take her away, you can challenge him and cut him down yourself!"

This calmed his uncle considerably, and the prospect of putting the Orakian Prince in his place was quite appealing. He said, "You're sure this will work the way you want it? What of the way into Landen from here?"

Lyle smiled and said, "I have located the Forest Sapphire; it is currently in the possession of the Orakian Princess I mentioned earlier. She has agreed to allow it to be stolen from her so that it can eventually come into the possession of Prince Rhys while on his quest. I, of course, will be the one to give it to him. Fortunately, he won't know it was me who took Maia away from him…"

King Cille begun nodding in comprehension as the plan became apparent in his mind. He beckoned to his daughter and said to her, "You will accompany your cousin. He will explain what is expected of you, and I expect you to follow his orders to the letter. Now go; this is for the good of our people!"

She nodded in response and headed over to where Lyle was awaiting her. Taking her hand, he led her out of the throne room and onward to what would become her destiny.

* * *

The setup was similar to his previous visit; he was in an antechamber adorned simply with a table and a few chairs. Maia was with him this time, as she was a willing partner in this scheme. He explained the entire plan to her during their journey back to Landen, and while she was at first apprehensive of the thought of marrying an Orakian, she finally acquiesced for the sake of her people. Now she sat next to him, awaiting their hostess within Satera castle. She fidgeted in her seat while she waited; Lyle, however, lounged about as if he had no cares in the world. She shifted uncomfortably. Lyle shot her a look and said, "Relax, will you? Nothing can happen to us while we're here. They do have a law you know? After all, even in Orakian lands is it forbidden to take another human life…"

She stared at him for a moment. What was he talking about? That's Laya's Law! How could Orakians have that law too? She was stirred from her thoughts by the opening door; Princess Lena strode in and reviewed the people in attendance. Lyle stood and bowed in respect, but the girl remained seated and appeared to look upon Lena in disdain. She ignored this and said, "So this is the cousin you mentioned before. You're right; Rhys won't be able to resist her." Lena couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at the girl's appearance. She was everything Lena wasn't; tall, fair skinned, well endowed… The fact that she was also a Princess wouldn't even need to be a factor. Rhys may even choose her anyways, even after learning she's a Layan! "How do you intend to initiate the plan?"

Lyle leaned forward in his seat and said, "Tonight I intend to drop Maia into the middle of the river near to Landen Castle. She will swim towards shore and await rescue by a patrol. Once in the castle, she will play at amnesia, to which the Prince will choose to take her for himself, with his father's permission. Maia will agree and from there, we wait." He paused to look to his cousin. "Once the day comes, I will crash the wedding and take you back to Cille, while Lena awaits the moment Rhys gets thrown into the dungeon. From there, she will free him and instruct him to go find you. Once you are safely back with your father, I will return to Landen to await Rhys at the cave in the lake. He will come to find me, as I will have stolen the Forest Sapphire: the only means to get to Aquatica from Landen. Once I hand it over to him, I will return to the Satellite Control Tower in Aridia to await Rhys and ask him to help me, which he will do willingly; after all, the only way to cross the sea in Aquatica will be to fix the weather station!"

He looked smug at the end of the explanation. Lena clucked her tongue at him and said, "Yes, it's quite brilliant, but don't get your hopes up completely; there's all kinds of ways this plot can fail. We play it by ear from the moment it sets in motion, got it?"

Maia glared at the pretentious Orakian and said, "How dare you try to order Prince Lyle around, you filthy Orakian—"

Lyle put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Calm down, Maia! Would you listen to yourself? She's human, just like us. There's no reason to act that way towards any person, no matter what faction they come from. We're both equal partners in this little agreement, and besides that, she's right." Maia looked to her cousin in astonishment. He grinned and continued, "My head was in the clouds there for a minute. I do like to make my plans…"

"That you do, Prince Lyle." Lena said. "I suppose this meeting is adjourned, then… oh, I do believe it's going to be hot tonight, I think I'll sleep with my window open…" She winked at Lyle, who got the message perfectly clear, and motioned to let them out of the room. She nodded to each of them as they passed and mentally sighed as she prepared to set into motion her side of the bargain.

* * *

It was almost too perfect! Maia was found by a patrol from Landen and brought in, and Rhys had fallen in love almost instantly. It was almost too fast, as he managed to set the wedding for only a couple of weeks after finding her. Rhys could very well be a good man at heart, but you have to get through a few layers to see it. The kidnapping went off without a hitch, and several eyewitnesses saw him carrying her off to the eastern cave; that gave Rhys a goal, but he couldn't get through there because he needed the Sapphire. That was why Lyle returned and awaited his arrival to the island cave. He had recruited a female cyborg, which allowed him access to the old man's boat; it was something he hadn't accounted for in his planning, but this Prince was quite resourceful.

Now, Lyle was circling high in the sky, watching Rhys progress towards the cave that would set him on his quest to restore Aquatica to its former glory. Once he had verified that Rhys and his cyborg companion had successfully entered the cave, he turned and started to make his way to the passage to Aridia; something caught the corner of his eye, however. There, walking across the plains towards the tunnel to Aquatica was another figure. He swooped a little lower and recognized the figure: Princess Lena! He flew a ways away and reverted back to human form, then ran up to her saying, "For what purpose do you give chase? From this point forward your obligation has ended; Rhys is on his way and will set everything right."

She just looked at him incredulously and said, "It occurred to me that if Prince Rhys could risk his life to help these people, there's no reason I can't do the same!"

He shook his head. "And what combat training do you have? Have you techniques that you have been withholding from your countrymen? Honestly, to set out with naught but a knife to defend yourself…"

"You intend to join up with the Prince yourself eventually, yes? Then take me with you. We will both journey with him the rest of the way."

Lyle sighed in exasperation. Then his eye spied something that he hadn't noticed before. He said, "What manner of trickery is this, that you should have a gem of the same material as my own? Mine own Moon Tear was passed down through the lines of Layan sovereign for generations!"

Lena looked down at her belt and then to his own and put the pieces together. She said, "This Moon Stone, too, has been passed down through the generations of Orakian royalty. It was given to me on my birthday just this last year."

More wheels turned in Lyle's head and with that he realized that something much bigger must be happening. "Alright, you may come with me," she started to look ecstatic when he continued, "**but**, you will not be joining the Prince at the same time as me. There's a legend passed down among my people that tell of the return of the twin moon, and together, our gemstones may be able to set this legend in motion. I will need to test Rhys's resolve to make sure he's worthy of partaking in this legend…"

She started to object, but he quickly silenced her and turned her around to head towards the passageway to Aridia on foot. Though the legend was indeed accurate, and it did bring about great changes to all the people of the worlds of the Alissa III, Rhys would not be the one to fulfill it himself; only set the first of many events in motion. It would be up to his children's children to see it all through to the end.


End file.
